The present invention relates to fluid dynamic airfoils and the like. It was first conceived for application in models or toys but is not limited to toy applications. The present inventor first sought an airfoil, for use in toys, which could be constructed from a soft and flexible material yet still maintain good aerodynamic shape and performance.
Conventional airfoil sections have relatively thin trailing edges. In practice, these trailing edges are often thinner than 1% of the chord dimension of the airfoil. However these thin edges are often accompanied by structural problems--specifically low strength and low stiffness.
It is a common practice to slightly truncate the trailing edge of airfoils in order to achieve finite trailing edge thickness and a somewhat more practical structure. However it is well known that increased drag will result if the trailing edge thickness exceeds 1% of the total chord length of the airfoil. So airfoils are rarely truncated to more than 1% thickness.